Walter s



Patented Feb. 16,1892.

CHEST PROTECTOR.

W. S. HEINEMANN.

(NoMod`e1.)

ma mums P rens no., moro-mum, vhsmmwn Y UNITED. STATES PATENT OEEICE.

VALTER IIEINEMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TI'IE T. IV. HEINEMANN COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CH EST-*PROTECTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,195, dated February 16, 1892.

Application tiled December 26, 1891. Serial No. 416,176. (No model.) l

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER S. HEINEMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Chest-Protecting Garments, which is fully setforth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I represents a perspective view` ot' my garment; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the gore as applied under the arm with the small portion of the garmentr to which it is attached.

I make a garment composed of chamoisskin, lined, preferably, with woolen material 'for protecting and keeping the chest warm.

The garment is intended to iit' closely and snugly to the chest of the wearer.

The object of my invention is to make a portion of the garment elastic, so that it will yield to the movement of the chest caused by respiration or by the bending of the body, but .at the same time have the portion which surrounds the armhole of the garment non-elastic or non-yielding.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the body of the chest-protector, the front of which is divided, the two parts being secured together by buttonsB orother suitable fastenings.

The body of the chest-protector is made of chamois-skin C C with a woolen lining D, which extends throughout the garment, excepting under the arm.

E is a section of knit material, which I manufacture in long strips, which is made so that it is cut in suitable lengths for these garments, each piece being cut having one selvage edge, the other end having an edge that will ravel. In inserting these pieces in my garment I place the selvage edge at the bottom of the garment, and I bind the raw edge or the edge that will ravel with the comparatively non-elastic piece of strong cloth or thin leather F. I insert one of these sections under each armhole of the garment, making two sections E in each garment, which are elastic from the bottom up to the binding F, under the arm-hole of the garment. This binding, being comparatively non elastic, makes aclose fit of the garment entirely arotind .the arm of the wearer, and does not yield immediately around the arms of the wearer, but will yield because of the character of the knit material of the pieces E from the lower edge of the garment to the binding F. A I ind that -my chest-protecting garment overcomes the objections to this class ot' garments heretofore made. Garments of this class, which have no connecting-pieces under the arms connecting the front and back parts, which hang loosely "from the shoulders, are apt to fold or curl, and thus cause discomfort rather than protection.v

' Garments of this class, whose front and back parts are connected under the arms by inelastic material,are open to the objections above named it they loosely t the body ofthe wearer and give butlittle protection to the chest from cold air, and it' such garments tightly Iit they impede respiration and an easy movement of thebody of the wearer.

My garment is made to fit the body of the wearer snugly, and the garment is kept in position by binding the edge of the knit elastic A piece that is inserted to eon'nect the front with the back of the garment under the arms at its upper edge with a comparatively non-elastic binding. I preferably knit the inserted elastic strip of the proper width, using what is called a rib-stitch, for the purpose of giving this strip a suitable amount of lateral elasticity, so that the garment will readily yield in that portion of it where it is desired to admit of easy respiration and a free movement of the body of the wearer without either the frontor the back ofthe garment being displaced -or disarran ged in any way, making'it always certain to protect the body, as desired, under all circumstances.

I am aware that elastic sections have been inserted in garments in many and Various places and ways, but a knit elastic section made and inserted, as I have described, with a substantially non-elastic binding on its upper edge immediately under the armhole, having a selvage at its lower end and being elastic its entire length, excepting at the binding, makes a garment which I find overcomes all of the objections heretofore found in garments of this class. Having thus described my invention, what I clailn as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A chest-protecting garment having knit sections connecting the front and back portions of the garment and extending from the armhole to the bottom of the garment, said knit. sections having a selvage edge at the bottom of the garment, the upper edge being bound with a comparatively non-elastic binding immediately under the armhole, making lo the garment non-yielding around the armhole, but yielding and elastic from the nonelastio binding to thebottom of the garment,

as specified.

WALTER S. HENEMANN.

" Witnesses:

ALoYsIA HELMICK, L. L. COBURN. 

